Mokuba's Reason Why Not
by Kari Izumi
Summary: "Losing his virginity isn't something he's planned on in this busy week, but when an intelligent, awesome, fun girl like Rebecca admits to having the hots for him, Seto is out of town and no one else is going to stop them, the question isn't why he should do it, but why not?." A 5 1 fic.
1. Chapter 1

So I'm back in this fandom after ten years away, because no one ever escapes Card Game Hell, apparently. This idea is the result of another idea I couldn't get to work, the fact that I wanted to write this pairing in my other WIP that got away from me, and being inspired by a scene in another work (which I'll get into in a future chapter, because spoilers).

Despite the subject matter, there won't be any sex decipted in this fic, which is all I'm gonna say on that.

For the sake of readability and formatting, I'll keep notes to a minimum for the uploads here, but you can also follow this story at AO3 as well as my page on Tumblr (kari-izumi)

Any feedback, comments, critiques and plain old discussion is welcome.

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 **Mokuba's Reason Why Not**

 **Chapter One**

Fifteen year olds doing homework with their friends happens every afternoon. Normally, it's for a trig class or Japanese literature or focusing on the college entrance exam.

Fifteen year olds working after class to have a bit of spending money is also common. They have a delivery route or know a family friend in need of a help at the local restaurant.

A fifteen year old girl researching historic artifacts for her university master thesis, five thousand miles away from home is rare. A fifteen year old boy who holds the Vice Presidency of a major gaming corporation whose spending money is more than what most take home in their entire lives is even less seldomly seen.

"We really do have crazy busy lives," Rebecca remarks on one such afternoon. She holds a textbook open with one hand while writing notes into a tablet with the other. "It's almost like we're not even kids anymore."

From the other side of the desk in his corporate office, Mokuba glances through his own stack of papers; some are contracts to be reviewed, others mundane reports. He's been at this all day, and if he's honest, it's all starting to run together.

It's not like he has much time to think about stuff like that, least of all these past two weeks. There are times that he wants a bit more normalcy-being able to attend after school clubs or blow off work for a party. But for all that is unusual about his life, he's content for what it is. He's got an awesome brother, a set future, plenty of friends-and Rebecca, sitting across from his desk, who understands the pressure of high expectations better than anyone else his age.

Blinking his eyes as he looks over at her, Mokuba says with a wiry grin, "Yeah, but I've gotten used to it. I can't imagine any other way of life. Could you?"

"Eh?" She looks up from her tablet, tapping the pen at her mouth the way she always does when she's got something she's contemplating. "I guess I can't. Even if I wasn't a prodigy, I think being in high school for four years and gossiping about clothes and boys would have gotten pretty boring anyway. I'm pretty glad for my life and I enjoy all the friends I've made in the pro dueling circuit. Like you."

He sits up even straighter in his seat.

"Its nice having someone my age who isn't intimidated by me being smart."

Mokuba feels the room, which is already soundproofed to block outside noise, grow even more quiet as a certain warm feeling comes over him at her words. Intimidated? Her intelligence was his favorite thing about her! "You broke through Nii-sama's security and helped us get the company back. I guess people might get freaked out, but I think that's awesome."

It's not the first time they've discussed DOMA or her crazy hacking skills. But Rebecca usually brags that she could teach him a few new skills and not lower her eyes as her cheeks grow pink.

Letting out a cough, Rebecca asks hurriedly as she resumes scanning through her book, "Speaking of him,when does Kaiba come back from Hong Kong, anyway?"

"Monday afternoon," he replies. He goes back to his own stack of papers, pretending as he always does that he doesn't notice or care how much he truly likes having her around. And sure, she's gotten hot over the past year, objectively speaking, with long legs and American-sized boobs; but more than that, her boundless enthusiasm for gaming and school and everything is hard not to get suck into.

Rebecca speaks again, her voice a bit concerned. "You looked like you were spacing out for a moment."

"It's fine," Mokuba says automatically as he picks up a new report to glance over.

"Bullshit! Have you even slept in the past few days?"

"Work's gotta get done. Not like I'm going to school tomorrow."

"That's no answer!"

Rebecca reaches over for his free hand, and not even the clearly angry, frustrated scowl on her face negates the sudden jolt of electricity that shoots up through his arm.

"Look, I know a thing or two about all-nighters, and it doesn't do you or your project any good to burn yourself out. If you work yourself to death like you tell me Kaiba does, how can you help _him_?"

Realizing that she still is holding his hand-and that somehow, their pinkies have become entwined-they both turn away from each other, but neither moves. Mokuba doesn't blush that easily with his completion but he does feel his ears burn. "I mean...you're right about that. I haven't slept much, but...I'll try."

Sighing she says. "No, I shouldn't bring it up. I know you're working to keep up the company for your brother. But I can't help it to bring up a better way of doing things a when I see it." Rebecca laughs as she adds, quietly, "You probably think I'm too outspoken."

"What? Not at all! There's nothing wrong with passion and speaking up. And if other people have a problem with that, that's their issue, not yours." He believes this firmly, and looks her square in the eye as he says this. "And I like that you're direct. You're like the most honest person I know."

Rebecca looks like she wants to say something, but closes her mouth. Her expression changes to one of resolve-Mokuba's noticed the same look appear during her duels when she's deciding on the best play against her opponent; beyond that he isn't sure what else to read into it. Maybe he's said too much, he wonders as she removes her hand from his to close her tablet and textbook, placing them into the bag on the floor. It's only the training he's gotten from Seto on how to school his face and emotions when he needs to that keeps him from showing any emotion of his own, as he realizes how nervous he is.

Mokuba watches her stand up out of her seat…

...and walks around the desk, stopping right at his chair, spinning it towards her. His heart nearly stops when Rebecca leans over and places a hand on either shoulder, rolling one thumb on the collar of the blue dress shirt he wore that day.

"How about I show you what I'm feeling?"

Her eyes really more like emeralds when her face is this close, brilliant and clear and reflecting the afternoon sun.

Mokuba has thought about this and thinks of his best line to respond:

"Um...wait, what?"

Rebecca doesn't seem to mind or care that his brain has short circuited as she coos in a voice that's far quieter than he thinks she is capable of. "Shut up, Mokuba."

It happens so quickly that Mokuba doesn't have time to close his eyes or to move his hands off the armrests. Her lips feel so soft along his and a current shoots through him from the sensation.

Rebecca jumps away suddenly, covering her mouth with her hands. Her eyes are wide in shock.

"Did you feel that...that _spark_?!" she squeaks.

"Wow...yeah." He definitely felt that, placing two fingers on his own mouth, which is still a bit tingly. "But I liked it, though."

He really did...and thinks it could be better. Mokuba stands up and pulls Rebecca close, his arms wrapping around her shoulders as her hands reach for his neck.

"You're so tall," she notes, looking up at him with a rapt expression, her voice so quiet.

With his own goofy grin Mokuba tilts her chin up to kiss her again, and _hell yeah,_ this is a whole lot better indeed, being able to hold her close, catching the glimpse of a smile each time they break apart. The air grows still and the light gets slightly brighter through the window and he entirely forgets the rest of the world. So maybe he wouldn't have picked his office for their first kiss; but then nothing in their lives follows the typical teenage script anyway.

As if by some primal urge that he doesn't fully understand, Mokuba soon finds himself guiding Rebecca onto the top of the desk. She looks over to one side, being careful not to knock over the forgotten stack of papers before leaning back, propping herself on her elbows.

Rebecca lets out an excited giggle. "You have a chair, you know!"

"Yeah," he says, resting one hand along her hip and gripping her cheek with the other. "But it's more fun like this."

Mokuba becomes very aware of the way her thighs squeeze his hips, pulling them even closer than he's ever been to another human being. "Yeah, I guess it is."

He hasn't planned any of this, but being a Kaiba, he's long since learned to roll with the unexpected and wield it to his advantage...and from the muffled sounds Rebecca makes as their mouths connect, she's enjoying this a lot. And he enjoys that she's enjoying this as the languid, chaste kisses soon give way to deeper, more intense ones each time they separate for air. Their tongues meet, tentatively at first, then more often; their hands begin roaming along backs and hips and twisting into one another's hair as the silence in the room is filled with increasingly louder, heavier, more ragged breathing.

"...Mokuba?"

"Mmmm…?"

Rebecca pulls away, her cheeks a dark red, looking down between them briefly as she asks. "...that's not your cell phone, is it?"

He freezes immediately, feeling his face growing heated and his mouth goes dry. "Umm...no," he whispers.

It comes back to him right now-that conversation that he had with Seto a few months ago about biological urges taking over rational thought in the heat of a passionate moment and _promise me you'll take a minute to think it over, Mokuba_ -or rather, that conversation that it was way too early in the day for that Seto insisted on having with him over breakfast, the morning after the last tournament. Next to the actual sex talk two years ago, it's easily the most awkward and out-of-the-blue conservations Mokuba can remember, and he still hasn't figured out what exactly prompted him to bring it up when he did.

Maybe Seto realized somehow that this exact situation was going to happen, sooner rather than later.

Rebecca-rather than being bashful by...well, him-is grinning wickedly. "I'm glad."

Mokuba can barely register her implication as she rolls her hips against his, hooks her legs even tighter and sucks down on a spot right behind his ear and that- _that_ entirely throws his rational thought away so thoroughly that if he wasn't so entirely turned on, it might have scared him to think he could lose control of himself this quickly-to grab a tight hold of her hair as he lays her back into the smooth wooden surface, being urged on by the noises as he eargerly kisses down her neck, and desiring to grab her hips to test out how truly soundproof this office really is-

"Mokuba-sama," he hears.

They both freeze, and the temperature in the room plummets as everything comes crashing back into focus. Mokuba snaps up straight as his eyes instantly focus towards the door that he's sure he didn't lock to find it still firmly shut.

"It's just the intercom," he tells her, sighing in relief.

"I guess you have to get that soon…" says Rebecca. Her smile is unusually relaxed, even for her as she strokes one of his hands.

The sight of her hair spayed over the desk gets him to pause for a moment before Mokuba gives her a slight grin in return."If I don't pick up, he'll worry and call Nii-sama."

"Hmmm."

"Mokuba-sama, are you there? I have the tournament scheduling you asked for."

Taking a moment to steady his breathing again, Mokuba reaches out for the intercom button, trying desperately to keep his voice flat and neutral. "Yeah, I'm here, just...can you leave it by the door?"

There's a slight pause before Isono replies, "Yes, Mokuba-sama."

Apart from the shock of nearly getting caught, a part of Mokuba is thankful for the interruption. What the hell _was_ that?! He rubs at his face with his free hand, feeling as though he's coming back into his body once again. Only now does he remembers the other part of Seto's talk was accompanied by a list of all condom brands available in every country Kaiba Corporation did business in.

"Damn, that was too close," he says, after a pause, low under his breath.

"I'll say. I don't what Isono would have done if he'd saw us like this," Rebecca says with a sly smile and a wink.

Mokuba decides against any clarification on that as he pulls her up, helping her off the desk before pulling her into a chaste hug. His cheek rests against the top of Rebecca's head, taking in the comforting scents of bright yuzu lemon and sweet jasmine in her hair.

"I'm sorry," he says, murmuring into the top of her head.

"For what?"

"Because I didn't even think about using...um...when we were about to…"

 _It's so stupid,_ he mentally chastised himself. The one time he should have been thinking about this is the one time it entire escapes his mind completely!

Rebecca catches his meaning and the smile is beaming as she stands on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "You silly. It's sweet you were worried, but I've taken the pill for awhile anyway...just in case."

"Oh."

 _Oh_.

The thought that Rebecca has been thinking about this...with him...for a while is a huge ego boost and flattered is too weak a word to describe the feeling that comes over him. But then, she's one of the smartest people he knows.

She continues, not meeting his eyes as her face goes from a slight pink to deep red. "You're the first guy that I've _really_ felt like I wanted to...um, I mean...well, you know."

"Me, too," he replies. Maybe he hasn't given nearly as much planning, but this afternoon... _damn_. Mokuba doesn't remember a time when he's smiled this much or felt so alive. "That was so crazy intense. I felt like... _wow_."

"I know."

There's a look in her eyes, Mokuba notices-the one Rebecca gets when she's got a plan or an idea that, he knows from experience, she won't let go of. But there's something else behind it this time, and realizes she had a similar look right before they were interrupted-

"I think we should do it."

Her arms tighten around his back, clinging onto his shirt, her eyes oddly serious.

Mokuba lets out a choked, started gasp as his jaw goes slack. He should say something-anything-but all his thoughts get stuck in the back of his throat. Rebecca has never exactly been shy about going for what she wants; she certainly wasn't earlier. But stating it so plainly just makes it all so real.

"What's with that look?" Rebecca's smile drops slightly. "Didn't you want to do it earlier?"

"Well, yeah," Mokuba says, squeezing her shoulders more tightly, and he's never been so aware of his own heartbeat as he recalls the exciting, thrilling moment when things changed between them forever. "But this is moving a little fast, isn't it?"

"Eh?" Rebecca snaps her head up, scanning the office with a look of disbelief. "Look at where we are! Our whole lives have been moving fast for as long as either of us can remember. At least this is our decision."

"Shouldn't we go on a date first?!"

"Well _obviously_ , we'd go out to dinner first. I have standards."

"That's not what I mean!" he sighs, closing his eyes. "I mean, I really want to...you know...but we just figured out that we like each other like that. Why rush?"

"Is this any more crazy than you missing class to run a company or me having yet another degree before I can legally drive here or back home? Kids our age are doing it anyway-"

"Did you really just-?"

She places a finger to his lips, her voice barely above a whisper but confident in reply. "-and we obviously click. Why would we wait?"

Mokuba opens his mouth to counter, but nothing comes out. Rebecca isn't wrong; he knows all the reasons kids their age are told to wait, but the biggest one-ruining your future-would hardly apply to them. He's already lived through things that would have entirely broken many others. In nearly every other way that matters, they might as well be adults already.

Even if Mokuba isn't exactly sure he's ready for that step right now, there isn't anyone else he would even consider sharing this with...so does it really matter if they do this now or in a few months anyway? It's clear, both in action and words, that Rebecca thinks herself more than ready; and now the next move lies with him. The newly awakened part of his mind reminds him of the excitement of wanting to melt into one another, hearing her cry out in pure bliss at his touch; the images quickly crush the nagging voice that says _slow down because you want more than just sex._

"Not like anyone would stop us anyway," Mokuba points out, more to himself than Rebecca; Arthur Hawkins still resides in San Francisco in between his archeological digs, Isono he's sure wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone as long as he comes home before Seto gets back-

 _Shit_.

As far as he knows, Mokuba officially has more first hand knowledge of this subject than Seto does at twenty years old. How would he even _begin_ to approach this subject with him? Would Seto even understand? Or try to stop him?

"You said Kaiba won't be back till Monday?" Rebecca asks as though she could read his mind.

Mokuba blinks a few times as the realization kicks in. "Yeah…"

Maybe just this once, Seto doesn't have to know anything at all.

Rebecca strokes behind his ear, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "So, Saturday works?"

Losing his virginity isn't something he's planned on in this busy week, but when an intelligent, awesome girl like Rebecca admits to having the hots for him, Seto is out of town and no one else is going to stop them, the question isn't why he should do it, but why _not_?

If any two fifteen years old have the ability to use logic in this situation, it's them.

He reaches for her neck to bring her in for a quick kiss on the forehead. "Let's do it."

Rebecca presses up against his chest, looking throughly ecstatic, and only now does Mokuba realize, looking at her chest, _I bet I can totally feel her up now._

He goes for it, slipping one hand into the opening of her shirt-

-and gets his hand slapped hard.

"Ow!"

Rebecca cheerfully waves a finger at his nose. "Nuh-uh!"

"But-!"

"Nope!"

"Weren't we gonna do it earlier?!"

"Yeah, but it'll be way more exciting to wait, won't it?" She giggles as she pulls away and claims her backpack. "Besides, it's only two days. I'm sure you can wait that long."

Mokuba honestly doesn't know how he's managed to live this long without it!

"Can't I feel _over_ the shirt?"

If he wasn't a Kaiba, he'd swear this sounds a lot like begging, which Kaibas _do not do, ever._

"Hmmm…" Rebecca pretends to think on it, tapping a finger against her chin. "No, that'd be way too distracting when I get home. Sorry!"

"Distracting _how_?"

Rebecca doesn't respond as she heads towards the door, only giggles. "You're way more innocent than I thought...oh…"

The tournament schedule that Isono left, he remembers. He walks towards the door and reaches down for the folder.

"Oooh, I wanna see who I'm up against!"

"Sorry, Rebecca," he says. "You know I can't show anyone that."

"Awww! Not even a hint?"

He pretends not to notice the hand that reaches his arm as he taps the folder lightly on the top of her head. He's grinning as he replies, "Won't it be more fun to wait?"

They lock eyes; a second later they've pulled each other into another searing kiss, but Mokuba breaks it off before either can get carried away again.

"Saturday," he tells her.

Rebecca blinks, her hand lingering on his chest for a second before taking a step back and heads out the door. "Yeah...see ya."

Mokuba takes his folder back to his desk, but sets down without opening its contents. There's no way he can go back to his work now or even go to sleep with thoughts about Rebecca-

 _Distraction_.

...oh.

He suddenly feels a bit distracted himself at the thought, regretting the decision to have this suit tailored so snug to his lithe frame. Mokuba growls, running both hands in his hair.

It's going to be a _long_ two days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Shoutout to Nenya85 for her hard work in being a second pair of eyes and her suggestions in keeping with the tone I was looking for, because writing for this many characters at once was damn difficult. Especially Bakura and Otogi. You guys who Do the Things with these two rock!**

 **Also, OOF I could have sworn I updated this account when I did the AO3 one WAAAAAAY back in November 2017 for this entry, I'm so sorry! But I do advise those with AO3 accounts to follow there, because I do update there first for all my fics since formatting is easier.**

 **On with the show!**

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The first time Mokuba woke up to certain new sensations one morning shortly before he started middle school, he was confused...and mostly embarrassed. He tried to take his sheets down to laundry before anyone noticed.

But Seto was already up that morning (or more likely never went to sleep) strolling down the hallway, and with one look at his bundled linens knew exactly what happened. He'd done it himself, he confessed. But it was a normal thing to happen at his age, and showers would help in the future.

Then, an hour later Seto sat Mokuba down to explain the changes in his body in vivid detail with the most clinical, thorough forty page PowerPoint presentation: one filled with painstaking accuracy, medically correct photos of various acts and enough embarrassment where Mokuba went an entire day without speaking to Seto afterwards. But once he processed the info that pertained to waking up, Mokuba did feel a lot more confident.

Back then, he didn't quite connect the sensations to any particular person he knew-least of all Rebecca Hawkins. She seemed to know so much about the world-and about America during those months he and Seto spent in San Francisco during the development of Kaiba Corp America. It helped knowing someone his age in this foreign country, navigating the culture and the new foods. He was more than excited to return the favor once she decided to join a master's program near Domino.

Of course, Mokuba didn't expect her to be quite so grown up when she arrived to Domino, with boobs and long legs...ones that wrapped around his waist...and hands that tangled into his hair...and golden hair laying across his desk…

He's never been more grateful for the shower next to the office.

Once he's more...focused four minutes later, propping a hand against the wall for a moment to recover his breath, Mokuba thinks Rebecca's idea isn't so crazy. If her thoughts were anywhere near as intense as his have been the last hour, it's no wonder she wants to do it...with him. He smiles at the thought of Rebecca being just as riled up as he is...

The rumbling noise his stomach emits interrupts Mokuba's thoughts, a reminder of his body's other needs. Oh yeah, he hasn't eaten much today, he recalls; there was the cup of black coffee for breakfast, well before the sun had risen; a meeting ran long so he skipped lunch, nibbling on some wasabi peas in his office before Rebecca came by and...

Another three minutes go by before Mokuba decides a trip to the nearby Burger World is in order. He hurries to finish the rest of his shower.

He wishes he had a change of more casual clothes on hand as he gets dressed; unlike Seto, Mokuba has never developed the habit of sleeping at HQ, not even during these past couple of weeks. The suit suddenly weighs heavy and hot, his dress shirt still carrying some of Rebecca's perfume- which in no way helps him push aside how tightly her legs wrapped around his waist, drawing them close together-

Shaking his head in frustration, Mokuba steps into the office to grab his briefcase, wondering if he'll be able to focus on anything other than sex ever again. It's like a switch flipped in his mind and unlike most kids his age, Mokuba needs his brain to work. He mentally kicks himself for stopping when they did. Rebecca __did__ say she was on the pill and they were both virgins so what was the worst that could happen?

Mokuba shoves the thought aside. No, that's just hormones talking, more protection is better than less and the desk couldn't have been that comfortable for her. Besides, if Seto ever found out about them nearly christening the office, Mokuba would be in for more than just a talk. Probably a presentation incorporating the VR room showing the miracle of birth or the effects of venereal disease. Or both. __God__ , no. Mokuba shudders in horror at the thought.

Isono is waiting by the elevator when Mokuba steps out of his office and follows him inside.

"Are you alright, Mokuba-sama?" Isono asks without preamble as the elevator descends.

Using the most innocent smile he can pull off at his age, Mokuba replies smoothly, "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Isono isn't buying it; Mokuba senses the bodyguard scanning him through his shades. Does he look any different from earlier today? He thought that idea was only a myth. Could Isono suspect something?

Neither speaks again until the elevator stops at ground level, where Mokuba tells Isono, "I'm gonna walk over to the Burger World for dinner tonight."

"Understood." Isono nods, extending a hand for the briefcase. "Take some time to clear your mind. It's been a long day."

Mokuba doesn't read anything else into that statement as he hands over the briefcase and walks out the HQ building onto the bustling business district.

Maybe it was just nerves that made him hesitant earlier, he tells himself as he walks the few blocks towards the restaurant. Don't all guys his age want it? If the stories he overhears at school are to be believed, Mokuba is a bit behind the curve. He didn't know what he'd been missing out on! His life is so full and exciting that sex had never been a pressing priority.

And honestly, for all his experience with leading workers who were way older than he is and being the more approachable Kaiba brother, Mokuba wouldn't have had the first clue how to approach Rebecca. She had never hesitated to grab Yuugi's arm or kiss his cheek ages ago to make her feelings obvious. Yet he spends at least one night a week with her and Rebecca's never even tried to grab his hand before today. She wants to go all the way before they've even gone on a date, and he can't figure out why that is.

Just as soon as he's seated and placed an order, Mokuba figures he's got some time to at least check in with Seto for the night. Luckily, there's not much of a time difference between Domino and Hong Kong, so there's no worrying about interrupting some much needed rest. He reaches for his phone just as a loud, piercing, and vaguely familiar voice coming from the entrance catches his attention.

"...pretty sure that's him, but where's Kaiba?"

"Come on, Jounouchi!" Another familiar voice responds. "He doesn't need a babysitter anymore. Look at him!"

Looking up from his phone, Mokuba sighs. "You know, I can hear you."

Glaring at the door, he finds Katsuya Jounouchi staring back in wide-eyed shock as though he doesn't get told all the time his voice carries __very__ far; next to him, as usual, was his friend Honda. Behind them stood Otogi and the white haired boy whose demeanor was as quietly confident as Yuugi's...Ryou Bakura, he recalls at the last second.

Blinking in disorientation, Jounouchi straightens himself back up. "Eh...?! Is that really you?"

"Of course it's him," Otogi responds, waving in Mokuba's direction. "If you came to my party after the tournament, you'd known what he looks like now! How ya doing?"

"Where's Kaiba?" Jounouchi snaps rather briskly before Mokuba can respond. Even from this distance, the fire in Jounouchi's eyes is noticeable as he scans the restaurant. "I got some things to settle with him after that tournament-"

"Out of town till next week," Mokuba replies coolly with a slight teasing tone. "So you'll have to wait for him to own your ass again."

The growl Jounouchi emits really does remind Mokuba of an angry mutt, his eyes flashing in some deep set anger that that takes Mokuba aback. Okay, so maybe the quip wasn't __quite__ so deserved as it once was- Jounouchi did win the tournament, if only because Yuugi has pulled out of competition to focus on development of his own games, and he'd only lost the following exhibition game to Seto by 500 points.

"Dude, chill." Honda grips Jounouchi's shoulder. "He's just trying to get a rise out of you."

"Indeed, I'm sure Mokuba didn't mean anything by it," Bakura replies.

A sudden light comes on in Mokuba's mind. They're all guys-older guys, all Seto's age. And while it's hard to imagine any of them are getting tons of girls besides maybe Otogi, they probably have had to learn how to deal with...urges so they can get on with the rest of their day. He slides the phone back into his pocket.

Putting on his widest smile, Mokuba gestures towards the empty seats in the booth. "Why don't you guys sit here? It's my treat."

"Alright!"

Otogi and Bakura make a beeline towards the empty booth seat across from Mokuba. Jounouchi, however, stiffens.

"Come on, Jounouchi, It's free food!" Honda prods before adding, in a low tone, "Mokuba didn't cook these burgers himself, you know."

Jounouchi glares at the table before letting out a sigh. "Whatever. More money for cards."

Jounouchi jams his hands into his pockets, sliding into the vacant seat next to Mokuba while Honda pulls a chair from an empty table for himself.

Mokuba notices something-or someone-is missing from the group. "Where's Yuugi?"

"Oh," Bakura chimes in. "Anzu's flight was delayed, so they're only just now leaving Narita. We were all gonna meet up here to celebrate but Yuugi insisted we go on without him."

"Yeah, he won't miss us hanging around," Jounouchi adds with a knowing wink. "Even if he'll never confess his feelings."

The others chuckle.

"Anyway, Yuugi's got that meeting with you tomorrow anyway, so you guys can catch up then," Honda points out.

"Oh….oh, yeah, of course." The development meeting has all but gone out of Mokuba's mind after the past couple of hours. Even apart from owing Yuugi for saving their asses a few times, he has the mind of a brilliant gamer, and the game was a huge success in the first beta tests. He's been looking forward to the launch for months.

"Speaking of games, how are things going with Pegasus?" Bakura asks Otogi.

"It helps that my English has gotten better. Thank God Becky only ever wants new cards from the shop, because no way can I afford a tutor."

They catch up as the waitress returns for the rest of the orders, discussing their everyday trials and tribulations about Mokuba running Kaiba Corp on his own, Honda's own training with his family business, Jounouchi's improvement as a duelist as he's won a smaller competition in Yokohama last week, and Bakura's most recent gift that Marik Ishtar has sent him from Egypt.

"You two sure are close these days." Jounouchi eyes Bakura suspiciously, but the latter merely smiles, a faint blush crossing his pale cheeks.

Honda slumps into his seat. "Meanwhile, some of us who actually want girls can't seem to get any. Bakura has a whole fan club."

Mokuba hears the giggling of some girls at a table across from theirs. Looking over Jounouchi's head, he spots a group of Domino High girls staring at them. One of them-a short brunette-turns beet red once she locks eyes,with his, whipping around into her seat immediately as her friends huddle in.

Mokuba chuckles. "The brown haired one seemed excited enough."

Bakura's eyes are bemused, and even relieved. "It's not me she was looking at."

"Yeah...she isn't," Otogi studies the group, grinning at Mokuba.

He blinks. "Why are you looking at me for?"

"Look like Bakura's got competition for fangirls," Honda says with a wink, barely hiding his amusement.

Mokuba glances over again, and sure enough the brunette is looking with large moony eyes. Ah, he realizes. Rebecca may have been the most forward about her intentions, but far from the first person who's looked at him like that. He faces his own group again to find them all staring back at him in anticipation.

"Well?" Otogi prods, nodding his head in the brunette's direction.

"Well, what?"

Honda leans into the table. "Dude, you should go for it! She's totally cute!"

Mokuba freezes, barely containing his inner panic from showing. He can't tell them the reason that he can't get her number!

Jounouchi, who has been quiet this whole time-unnaturally so, Mokuba realizes-looks at him inquisitively before his eyes widen in realization. "Oh, I think I get it." The blond takes a dramatic breath before asking in complete sincerity, "Mokuba, have you ever asked a girl out before?"

It takes every bit of self control to swallow the indignant chortle that jumps in his throat as Mokuba's eyes narrow. He's not sure which is more grating-that Jounouchi would even ask something so stupid, or that he lucked into being right. He's never sought out anyone for a date, including the one with Rebecca. Not that he's going to admit to __that__ level of lameness with the geek squad eyeing him with various levels of bemusement and pity.

He squares his shoulders, flashing a calm, collected smile. Mokuba has had years of working under pressure and taking control of a room. "Of course. I've been with more dates this month than you've ever had, while you strike out with Rosie Palmer every weekend."

A voice, one that sounds much like Seto's, says their opinion on his life shouldn't matter at all and especially not __his__. Maybe this is why Jounouchi is such an irritant to Seto's very being. But if it gets him out of explaining anything about him and Rebecca, he can live with it.

"I'll have you know I'm not interested in American actresses," Jounouchi folds his arms, satisfied at his "insult".

Mokuba doesn't bother responding to that.

Otogi lets out a cough. "Well, anyway, it's not that much of a surprise you got a lot of admirers. You're much like myself at that age. I had a few dates each week."

"Some of us prefer quality over quantity," Honda adds, with a sharp look in Otogi's direction. "But you're really lucky. You know what we would've done to be able to have hot babes talk to us at your age?" Jounouchi nods in agreement.

"Speak for yourself." Otogi smirks, leaning into his seat. "Me and Bakura didn't need any help-ow! Honda, you dick!"

"What Honda is trying to say," Bakura replies as Otogi nurses the shoulder, "is that you get attention without trying just by who you are, and that's a huge advantage against regular guys. I know it gets tiresome at times"-Bakura lets out a sigh-"but it'll make it easy to meet someone you really do like."

Looking at Ryou Bakura today, it's hard to imagine the guy giving dating advice was once the vessel for a bloodthirsty, vengeful spirit. Maybe that's why he and Marik are...close.

"Umm...yeah, thanks." Mokuba doesn't go into the fact that he hasn't given this much thought. Not until this afternoon with him and Rebecca and the desk…

Out the corner of his eye, Mokuba becomes aware of Jounouchi staring intensely at him, like a cat staring down a fishbowl. Grey eyes meet amber ones with an annoyed scowl.

"What?" The younger teen hisses.

Jounouchi pokes at a spot on Mokuba's neck, giving him a look not unlike he gave Bakura earlier. "You got a bruise right here."

 _ _Oh shit!__ He screams internally; Jounouchi had poked the same spot Rebecca had sucked on earlier. No wonder Isono had been staring at him in the elevator.

Outwardly, he slaps the other man's hand away, snapping, "I got in a fight at school."

By now, the others are intrigued;they peer at him with curiosity. Otogi leans across the table, giving him a sniff. "Hmm. I thought I smelled perfume earlier."

"No way! You should've told us sooner!" Honda grins knowingly. "How far did you get, anyway?"

The tips of his ears are red hot; try as he might, Mokuba can't come up with any other excuse for what is obviously a hickey. Besides, even if Rebecca wasn't friends with everyone in the group, he doesn't want to share every detail of the afternoon. __How would Seto deal with this?__ Mokuba asks himself.

"Further than you've ever gotten, I'm sure."

Deflection is usually a safe bet to shut down questions.

The next moment, Mokuba finds himself in a headlock by Jounouchi, with Honda rubbing a gentle fist into his hair.

"ALRIGHT!" They all yell in unison.

"Nice try, but you aren't getting out of it that easy!" says Honda.

"So that's why you didn't want the other girl's number," Bakura smiles.

"Good going, kid," says Otogi. "I knew you were holding out."

"How big are her melons?" Honda asks.

"Honda is an expert on melons," Jounouchi adds.

Ignoring whatever inside joke he's referring to, Mokuba says, "Like I'm gonna share that!"

"Oh my, you're a lively bunch." The waitress returns with meals in hand, setting them down amongst the motley crew. "Celebrating good news?"

Bakura laughs. "It appears so."

"Looks like our buddy here has a girlfriend," Honda adds, giving Mokuba's hair another rub for good measure.

"Wait a minute-" Mokuba begins to say, struggling to twist out of Jounouchi's surprisingly strong grip.

"Well, that's nice to hear!" says the waitress, shooting a smile in Bakura's direction before taking off.

Mokuba shakes himself out of Jounouchi's headlock and hissing, "Idiots! If she had recognized me, she could be halfway to a tabloid by now! We can't let this get out."

"Whoops!" Honda scratches at his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot you got your reputation to think about."

"Not just his." Jounouchi is grinning. "I bet he's dating one of those singing idols. That's why you don't want the press to find out."

"Hmmm." Mokuba somehow manages to keep from laughing at how gullible they all are as the others nod in understanding and admiration. As if he needs girls to prove something when he's done more in fifteen years than most will do in an entire lifetime.

"So, how was it?" Otogi asks, nibbling on a french fry casually.

Mokuba looks up from the burger he's bitten into, his ears burning and cheeks growing warm. He's fully aware of what Otogi and the rest of them want to know.

Honda leans in. "Hey, there. We're all guys here. No need to be modest around us, we've got plenty of experience."

"Right…" says Jounouchi with far less confidence.

Bakura scratches his chin, as though he's piecing a puzzle together. "Didn't you just get off work? How could you have covered for Kaiba and go to school at the same time?"

"I multitask," he says shortly, purposely ignoring the hidden question. Bakura is definitely the brains of the group, Mokuba thinks.

It takes Otogi a minute to catch up, but his eyes are wide. "Oh, shit! You did it at Kaiba Corp?!"

"What the-?!" Mokuba's jaw falls slack in absolute shock his eye twitching.

"He did!" Honda cheers, every bit as dense as Otogi as he gives him a thumbs up. "You did it in Kaiba's __office?!__ That's pretty bold!"

The suggestion that Mokuba would defile his company image like that is so stupid that even Jounouchi is turning a few shades of pink, his eyes lowered at the table in second hand embarrassment. For once, he's stunned into silence.

"Are you for real?!" Groaning in irritation as the beginnings of a migraine forms, Mokuba buries his face into both hands in mortification. "God, no! We just made out there! In __my__ office." Not that saying that sounds any better to his ears.

After a moment, Honda lets out a chuckle. "You don't have to be embarrassed by it. I figure you must have done it, because why wouldn't you?"

That's what Mokuba can't quite figure out for himself. Why __doesn't__ he feel more ready for this when he can run an entire multi national corporation in Seto's absence, plan entire tournaments, fly helicopters and he can't shake the image of Rebecca on his desk, who was very enthusiastic about doing it?

"If you really like her, you should take her out on a real date," Bakura suggests. "Maybe go to that horror movie that's coming out tomorrow."

"You __would__ suggest that," says Jounouchi, suppressing a shudder as he bites into his burger.

"You chicken?" Mokuba asks slyly.

"Hell no! I could totally watch if I wanna. But I don't."

Honda pokes at Jounouchi"s ribs. "Chicken!"

"I got your chicken right here, pal!"

As Jounouchi locks an arm around Honda's neck, Otogi leans in towards Mokuba, his eyes vibrant. "And then after the movie, you can stop at a love hotel to finish where you left off. Those places are pretty discreet. If she's the type to fool around in the office, she must be fun."

"We were both there," he says, barely avoiding a snarky comment more befitting of Seto, "and she isn't just 'fun'. She's an awesome person."

"If you say so," he replies, coolly sipping his drink.

Otogi's snicker mixed with his dismissive, implying tone makes Mokuba's blood boil suddenly.

Honda and Jounouchi, having worn one another out, straighten themselves out into their seats, the latter taking a sip from his soda.

"Otogi is right, though," says Honda, now greedily stuffing his face full of fries. "You gotta be careful because some girls aren't serious like that. We don't wanna see you get heartbroken like Jounouchi was after the KC tournament."

Jounouchi nearly chokes on his drink. He pounds on his chest a few times before he's able to speak again. "What the fuck?" he demands. "Who told you that shit?"

"Why else would you have missed Otogi's party for? You were so mopey after you won the whole tournament for weeks. Besides, you told Yuugi-"

"I did not!" Jounouchi groans, the beet red cheeks in stark contrast with his bright yellow hair "He just figured out things...I'm not getting into that _ _here__!"

As the others grill Jounouchi, Mokuba is thankful for the break out of his life being dug into. Whoever it was Jounouchi got with, he is too embarrassed to breathe a word of it. Who would be his type?

"I bet it was Vivian Wong, wasn't it?" Otogi chides.

Jounouchi balks. "Ugh, she's way too obnoxious, and I can smell that cheap ass perfume she wears from the other side of the duel arena!"

"Speaking of which, you got a foreign chick, kid?" says Otogi to Mokuba. " It smells like the stuff Becky was wearing when she tutored me in English earlier today. Told me she'd got it shipped from America since they don't sell it here-wait…"

His vivid green eyes widen briefly before becoming flints aimed sharply at Mokuba. _"_ _ _You and Becky?!"__

Mokuba lets out a nervous laugh as he senses the other guys staring in amazement. "It was kinda her idea, so...why not?"

The next second, Otogi has a firm grip around Mokuba's collar with both hands, nearly upsetting Bakura's drink in the process. "You little shit! Did you two do it?!"

"Otogi, please!" Bakura pulls at the other man's arm to no avail.

"You better not have!" Honda's intensity matches Otogi's when he replies, fist in hand, "Rebecca's a nice girl and you're trying to treat her like your other flings!"

Out the corner of his eye, Mokuba sees Jounouchi warily eyeing Otogi and the closest exit before Mokuba grabs Otogi's hand to give it a twist. It only takes two seconds before Otogi winces, releasing his grip to rub his forearm.

"Damn…." is all Jounouchi can say.

"For the record, we didn't do it," he snaps, straightening his collar. "And I wasn't going to share details with any of you if we did."

"Come to think of it, you were dodging all our questions earlier," Jounouchi notes, with some empathy in his voice.

"That may be," Honda folds his arms into his chest, his brows furrowed, "But she's fifteen! That's too young for girls to want sex!"

This is utterly ridiculous, Mokuba thinks as his headache worsens. Who else who he be fooling around with if not other girls his age? Who else who _ _they__ have gotten with when they were in high school? He's watched them fight each other for years over Shizuka, but besides that-

Mokuba throws his head back in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Otogi demands.

"Is that what you tell yourselves about Shizuka?"

Jounouchi glowers at him. "Mokuba, I don't care what hitmen Kaiba sends after me, but I will kick your ass if you don't leave my sister out of this."

Mokuba ignores this. "You two have hit on her for years now and she's never given either of you the time of day. Did it occur to either of you that you don't need to work so hard for someone who's into you?"

That gets their attention as Honda turns red. Otogi tries to look cool but fails, knowing Mokuba isn't wrong. He wishes he could take a picture for posterity. The entire table falls silent, as Mokuba sits back in his seat, Bakura coolly sipping his soda and Jounouchi looking at Mokuba with an inquisitive look.

Honda clears his throat loudly. "Well, sometimes true love takes a while-"

"No, it doesn't."

Mokuba turns to see Jounouchi glaring at Honda.

Otogi lets out a nervous laugh. "But if she does ever change her mind-"

Jounouchi cuts him off with a punch to Otogi's cheek, knocking him out of his seat.

"What the-?" Mokuba's jaw drops, in awe of the blond's reflexes.

Honda laughs. "You dumbass!"

Jounouchi uses his other fist to knock Honda out of his seat on the floor on top of him. Bakura gasps, then turns away, looking a bit ill.

A stout older man in what appears to be a shift manager's uniform comes to their table with their bill in hand. He glares at the pile at his feet, then at Jounouchi and Mokuba.

"Out. Now."

"I'm done here," JounouchI grumbles, giving menacing looks at Otogi and Honda.

Bakura replies, "I apologize for my friends, sir. We were just headed out to drink anyway."

"We were?" Honda asks as he stands up, spitting blood into a napkin as he straightens the chair.

"Yeah, dude," Otogi says, dusting himself off. "We'll be safer there."

"Oh….right."

Well, Mokuba had already volunteered to pay anyway, he figures as Bakura slides out the booth and Honda shoots an apologetic look at Jounouchi before following him and Otogi. Mokuba pulls out a few bills to give to the porky looking man. Jounouchi stands up, sighing as he takes a few steps towards the door.

"Property damages, too."

"What damage?" says Mokuba glaring, more pissed at such a lazy, uninspired attempt at extortion than the act itself. The paint on Honda's chair is scuffed, but nothing worse than that. "You're shitting me."

Jounouchi whips around, with a vice grip on Porky's shoulder, waving a fist in his round face.

"He means the plastic surgery he'll need when I'm done rearranging his face."

Mokuba has heard the story of how Yuugi became friends with Jounouchi and Honda, when they both belonged to a high school delinquent gang. It's easy to imagine this with the wild smirk on his face.

"Oh, you're right," Mokuba adds, his grin impish. "Then there's all the surgery he'll need after the Kaiba Corp guards have fun. You know, if the police bother to look for his body-what's left of it."

The man eyes the both of them, his greedy pea brain considering his options before replying, "Consider the meal on the house."

With a deceptively polite smile, Mokuba slides out the booth and exits, with Jounouchi in tow, stretching at his neck sheepishly.

"Sorry about getting you kicked out," says the blond as he scratches the back of his neck. "And about that fucking creep trying to get money outta you."

Mokuba snorts. "Like I was gonna pay up! Nii-sama taught me better than that. But I think he was more scared of you than me, so...thanks."

Jounouchi nods, sticking his hands in his pockets as he drags one foot along the pavement. "I just wanna pay you back for what you said earlier, is all."

Mokuba blinks. "Eh?"

"What you said about Shizuka." He sighs, being as quiet as he's capable of being. "You're right, she's not into those morons, and I should've done something sooner about that cuz that's what big brothers do." He sighs before adding, "But you got lots of girls, so you don't need to hound anyone!"

"Well…" Mokuba stammers, feeling a bit more like himself without the rest of the peanut gallery around, "I, um...actually haven't fooled around before today. I just said that because I was trying to avoid talking about it." He lets out a weak laugh. "I mean, you'd think I would have in my position but…" he trails off.

Jounouchi nods, laughing softly. "Don't worry about it. We've all exaggerated and those guys still do. Honda spent high school being scared shitless of girls, and Otogi's never skipped Friday game night to get laid since we started it."

A knot deep within his stomach untangles itself; so Mokuba isn't that weird after all.

After a few seconds in silence, Jounouchi continues. "So, um...you and Rebecca, huh?"

"Yep...apparently. I wasn't planning on doing it this weekend, but…" Mokuba grins. "Well, I do like her."

Jounouchi snickers. "I bet Old Moneybags shit a brick when you told him!"

Mokuba looks away, the knot returning along along with some guilt. "I...um, I haven't told him."

"Huh?" Jounouchi looks surprised. "But you tell him everything!"

"I'll tell him...eventually," Mokuba tacks on as an afterthought.

"Do you really wanna leave him out the loop?"Jounouchi insists. "That isn't like you."

"I can't talk to him! Not about this. He hasn't even kissed anyone yet, let alone-"

He cuts himself off, turning away from Jounouchi, whose mouth hangs open.

"What-?! He told you he's still a virgin?"

Mokuba doesn't respond; he's already said too much. The lack of dates and long workdays speak for itself, but it isn't fodder for anyone to laugh at. But Jounouchi isn't laughing when Mokuba looks at him. His brown eyes look genuinely shocked and even a bit sad by this revelation.

"But earlier I thought…" Jounouchi trails off, a puzzled look across his face before shaking his head, sighing. "Forget I said anything."

But before Mokuba can ask about what he was obviously trying to hide Jounouchi blinks, giving a grin, seeming a bit more like himself. "Anyway, back to you. Rebecca sure seems into ya at the tournament. She'd light up every time you did your MC thing."

He smiles at the reassurance. "Did she?"

"Well, Mai noticed it, and she's got a good sense about stuff like that."Jounouchi nudges Mokuba's arm with his elbow. "But Honda's right, you are lucky! You know how long Rebecca's been crushing on Yuugi?"

Mokuba is aware; he has been since the beginning development stage of Yuugi's game,where he found himself becoming increasingly annoyed at the gushing praise Rebecca lashived on Yuugi-never mind that he, Mokuba, was the guy designing the technology that made the world look so realistic.

(Certainly, he wasn't __jealous__. Not only did Kaibas not get jealous, they certainly wouldn't envy naive Yuugi Mutou of all people.)

Jounouchi wraps an arm around Mokuba's shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. "Come on, let's go to the 7-11. At least there's a bench outside that you can sit on while you wait for your limo."

Mokuba can't argue that logic as they continue walking.

* * *

It's dark out by the time they arrive at the 7-11; Mokuba heads towards the snack aisle as Jounouchi makes a beeline to the porn magazines. He doesn't pay much attention to the other things Jounouchi grabs while looking for some drinks and chips and a new flavor of Kit-Kat that he hasn't already tried while texting his coordinates to Isono.

Jounouchi's already outside by the time Mokuba's bought his items.

"Did you get anything good?" Mokuba asks, pulling out the Kit-Kats as he takes the seat next to him. Jokingly, he adds, "You bought any beers for us?"

"I don't drink," he replies flatly, his body tensing up in the same way Seto's does when he's reminded of Gozaburo.

Oh. So that's what Otogi meant by the bar being safe. He doesn't ask for any other details as he sits down. Jounouchi places his own bag on Mokuba's lap.

"Surprise!"

Peeking inside in puzzlement, he sees the magazines Jounouchi picked up, along with a new toothbrush, an ice pack and a box of condoms...a variety pack that is thankfully the correct size and well ahead of its expiration date.

He's beaming with pride as he tells him, "The ice pack and the toothbrush will help that hickey fade faster. And those are Yuugi's favorite magazines. He says they're the best."

Mokuba's not sure which has taken him aback more, the generosity or that Jounouchi managed to surprise him on the pretense of grabbing food.

"...you really didn't have to-!"

"Don't worry about it! Guys help each other out like this. Kaiba would want you to use the condoms, at least."

Certainly, Mokuba doesn't need __three__ porn magazines when he'd figured out how to bypass Seto's child locks a long time ago. (On a dare by Rebecca, just to see how fast they could do it-and he hit the escape button __fast__ once he'd realized the folder marked __Blue Dragon Summoner__ had nothing to do with Duel Monsters.)

Mokuba nearly insists he take a 5000 yen note, because Jounouchi's budget is tighter than most. But the pride in Jounouchi's expression stops Mokuba from reaching for his wallet. He's seen that look in Seto often enough. "Thanks," he says finally. At least, he can try to get the bruise to fade before work.

Pushing the magazines over to the other side, Mokuba discovers another item at the bottom of the bag.

"What's this banana for?"

Mokuba realizes his mistake too late when Jounouchi retrieves a condom out his jacket pocket. "Well, you see, there's more than just slapping this bad boy on your-"

Feeling his face turning red hot, Mokuba snatches the banana out the bag and crushes it between his hands.

"Hey!"

"Fuck no! I've already done this with Nii-sama and I'll watch a YouTube video if I need a reminder!"

"You didn't have to waste a good banana!"

Jounouchi has a point (or maybe was going to save it for breakfast, he thinks with some guilt) but he'll be damned if he's sitting through any more awkward talks.

"Well, at least give me some pointers so I don't embarrass myself!"

Jounouchi suddenly goes pale and stiffens as he rubs behind his neck nervously. His eyes don't quite meet Mokuba's. "Errr...I don't think I can help you as much as you're expecting. I only did it the one time and you really wouldn't want details, believe me."

"Oh, come on, Jounouchi! It's one more time than I've done it!" Mokuba insists.

"Well, it's not that, it's just…" His face scrunches up in thought as though he's deliberately choosing his words. "It was slightly different for me. Dunno that my tips would, ah...help with Rebecca."

Huh. That explains why he wasn't jumping in to give advice back at the restaurant and why he went with Yuugi's magazines. "Oh."

"Just don't tell Kaiba about you...ah, knowing."

Mokuba shrugs. Likely with all the Intel KC can pull on people Seto probably already knows. Or perhaps he figured it out around the time he acknowledged certain truths for himself. Either way, he'd have no vested interest.

Still…

Gripping at his knees, Mokuba takes in a breath. "How was it like? Not the details or anything, but...how did you feel?"

Once again, Jounouchi is choosing his words carefully before speaking, running a hand in his hair before propping his face into his hands. "I'm still not sure. It took me forever to even admit what I wanted, then I decided to kiss him and before you know it…" He stops to inhale a deep breath. "I knew that we weren't gonna live happily ever after afterwards or anything, but...I still hoped for it, you know?"

Despite the pink flush on his cheeks Jounouchi can't hide his disappointment very well.

"Sounds like a loser to use someone like that," Mokuba replies immediately. He wants to kick the ass of whoever it was that could be so callous with someone's feelings like that. Jounouchi, he knows from experience, is loyal to a fault and deserves better than what he got.

Jounouchi holds up a hand to protest. "No, you got it wrong! It wasn't like that….I mean...it's complicated. I don't regret going for it." After a pause, he replies, "Like I said, you don't wanna know."

A chill unrelated to the nightly breeze passes through Mokuba's body. Apart from Saturday, Rebecca didn't mention anything about where they'd go from here. Is this a one time thing? A passing curiosity? What if she wants more? Or even worse, what if she __doesn't__?!

Mokuba looks down at his shoes. "Maybe I shouldn't do this."

"Eh?" Jounouchi looks surprised.

Mokuba sighs. "I mean...Rebecca did come onto me and it was her idea, but..."

Jounouchi scratches at his chin in thought. "Mokuba, when Honda and Otogi suggested you go after that girl earlier, did you want to?"

Mokuba frowned. "Of course not! I told you, I don't even know her."

"Would you want to go out with Rebecca even if you weren't gonna fool around?"

"You bet!" He doesn't hesitate to respond. "God, you know how few people even understand what I do, let alone how much I enjoy it? I can talk to her about anything, and she helps to keep my hacking skills sharp-"

He's become aware of Jounouchi's beaming grin, and Mokuba realizes he just fell into a trap.

"See? You two will be fine. And if Rebecca confessed her feelings to you after all the time she spend gushing after Yuugi, she has to be serious." Jounouchi tags on, "I hope Shizuka finds a guy like you one day."

Well...he does feel a bit reassured, if not entirely confident.

After another silence, Mokuba asks, "Does it get better once you do it? The urges and the...the focus? I like how my brain worked before. I was in control of it."

Jounouchi burst out laughing, nearly falling over the side of the bench. "You really are Kaiba's brother!"

Mokuba bites back a retort about having a mind worth preserving, since he does need Jounouchi's help.

Once he's calmed down, Jounouchi answers, "If anything, it got easier for me, cuz there wasn't a mystery anymore...or the fantasy. It's different for everyone, I guess. But you don't gotta rush into that outta horniness or nothing. At least go out somewhere first, like Bakura said."

"Yeah," Mokuba says with resolve, straightening himself in his seat. Even if he's not sure about anything else, he does want the rest of the night to be awesome. "I think you're right."

"That's the spirit!" Jounouchi claps him on the back. "And I know it ain't easy, but I think you'd feel better if you talk to your brother. I know Kaiba won't throw a party over it, but you mean the world to each other. Bet you could even give him pointers...with women!" he adds.

If-no, __when__ , he corrects himself-he tells Seto about this weekend, Mokuba will point out just how much Jounouchi has helped him. Hell, Seto might get a kick out of Jounouchi trying to demonstrate how to use a condom.

Mokuba gives a wiry smile. "Yeah, I guess so. But I'd rather not sit through another speech about giving into biological urges over breakfast."

Jounouchi smirks. "That bad, huh?"

"Well, it wasn't as bad as the first talk Nii-sama gave me when I was twelve, just...random. I mean, he just bombards me the morning after the last tournament before I'd even had coffee. I've never seen him so worked up in the morning."

Jounouchi sits straight up, suddenly very curious. "He did? He actually said that?"

"I guess he figured about Rebecca before I did," Mokuba laughs.

"Huh...I guess he did."

Jounouchi's smile is genuinely joyous, the first one Mokuba's seen since they left Burger World. He doesn't know why this picks him up like it does, but Mokuba doesn't press it.

Reaching into his pocket again, Jounouchi retrieves his phone and pokes at it before holding it up to Mokuba. "Hey, here's my number. You know, if you need to talk."

Mokuba smiles, programming the number into his cell right as the limo pulls up. He points at the silvery-blue Rolls-Royce with the KC logo emblazoned on the back passenger door. "You wanna ride home? Betcha never seen the inside of one of those."

Jounouchi shoots up from the bench, his face turning bright red. "That's okay," he stammers, his eyes avoiding both Mokuba and the car. "I, um...left my bike by Burger World and I only live a train stop away. But lemme know how it goes with Rebecca, okay?"

Did the Kaiba wealth make him that nervous, Mokuba asks himself as Jounouchi makes a quick escape without waiting for a response. Between Battle City, DOMA and every other competition he's been in since, limos can't be __that__ intimidating anymore. But then, he's always been unpredictable, especially to Seto. That's probably why his brother goes out of his way to rile up the blond at every opportunity, even when there's no longer much sting behind it.

The thought passes as Mokuba shakes his head. He'll have to figure that out later. In the meantime, there's a very important first date to plan.

"Hey!" Mokuba hears Jounouchi shout from the corner as he steps into the car. "Rosie Palmer?! That's not an actress at all! You little brat-"

The rest of his rant is muffled by the soundproof doors, Jounouchi waiving a futile fist towards the night sky as the car pulls away from the curb.

* * *

 **The melon thing: it's a reference to the Capsule Monster anime where Honda writes his name on a huge cantaloupe they came across and mentions his involvement in a melon appreciation club at school. Tumblr fandom speculate he joined as a way to get girls. Given his crushes in the manga, it's an idea that fits :D**

 **Other note on 7-11: Japanese 7-11 and other such stores like Lawson are truly convenience stores where you can do your weekly shopping. Many sailors lived off those very delicious premise meals on those late days. And the flavors of Kit Kats there are endless. I must have tried at least 15 different ones.**

 **You can reach out to me at Tumblr, Pillowfort and Dreamwidth under the same username!**


	3. Chapter 3

(Note: this chapter was unbeta'd but since it's been up on AO3 for a year now, I've caught damn near everything I'm gonna catch)

* * *

The ride home is fairly quiet, giving Mokuba time to mindlessly scroll through Instagram and Facebook. He usually catches up with the outside world after work.

It's when he comes across a recent photo of the the new von Schroeder company headquarters that Mokuba thinks he should reach out to Leon. It's been a while since either Mokuba or Rebecca's heard from him since he got himself a boyfriend. Leon has always had a more keen sense of romance and how to go about it; maybe he'd know what to do…?

He shrugs off that idea as he continues to scroll away on the phone. Leon may be a better help than Honda or Otogi were, but that's still involving more people than he likes.

Mokuba looks over at Isono, whose shaded eyes are fixed on the road. He rarely interrupts Mokuba while driving and takes care not to mention Kaiba Corp business in front of him once they've left the office. It's as though Isono doesn't want to tempt fate by encouraging any of Seto's bad habits.

Mokuba can't blame him for this; other than making sure he gets to and from work safely, Isono doesn't pry into his life, which he's glad for today of all days. He can't imagine talking about this afternoon to him: __Yeah, it was a great day today, we finished quarterly sales projections and I almost had sex in the office before you showed up.__

Yeah, definitely a situation Isono never had to deal with when Seto was his age.

Mokuba is thankful for the dampened acoustics in the car cabin as he sighs, his eyes glancing at the two bags on the seat next to him.

Jounouchi is right: more than anything, Mokuba really does want to tell Seto. Even now, thinking about the look in Rebecca's eyes when she talked about doing it makes him warm all over and his brain go fuzzy. But would he understand- _ _could__ Seto grasp the overwhelming sensations that completely took over his thoughts when Rebecca kissed him? Painful as it is for Mokuba to admit, Seto is not great with processing his own emotions, let alone anyone else's.

On the other hand, wouldn't Seto tell Mokuba if he had done something like this? It's difficult to imagine his aloof brother in love with anyone, but if it were important enough, he'd be the first to know. And just because Seto may already suspect something by that conversation after the tournament isn't reason to hide it, Mokuba tells himself.

Mokuba's not afraid of what Seto may think. But he just can't explain something even he doesn't fully understand himself.

His staring is interrupted by the quiet click of the door opening once they arrive home, startling Mokuba out of his reprieve.

"How was your dinner?"

Isono's voice causes him to drop the phone on the lambskin floor. "oh...it was great. I ran into Yugi's friends and I talked to Jounouchi once they left." Mokuba skips the part about the extortion attempt; after all, he'd rather not be responsible for a man disappearing. Again.

"What about?"

Mokuba feels as though he's in a game of chicken, despite not seeing the bodyguard's eyes through his shades. Suddenly, he remembers Isono's staring in the elevator and the comment about clearing his mind.

How much does he know about Rebecca?! Isono wouldn't be so crass to point the hickey out, but he has to have noticed it.

None of it reflects outwardly as he casually retrieves his phone from the floor, masking his weakness. Seto taught him much in appearing outwardly calm. "Nothing, really. Just guy stuff."

Absentmindedly, Mokuba steps out of the car, handing one of the bags to Isono without looking. It would appear more suspect if he didn't let him take at least one of them off his hands. "I guess I wasn't too hungry for these snacks. Just put them in the pantry."

He's halfway up the stairs before he hears Isono calling after him, but doesn't respond.

Once in his room, he tosses the bag aside on his bed as he runs into his bathroom to examine the mark on his neck. Mokuba frowns, lamenting his short hair isn't quite long enough to hide it. But at least the color is more red than purple, so with the ice pack, this will lessen by tomorrow.

Once out the bathroom, he flops onto his bed and pulls out his iPad from the nightstand. Turning on safe mode, Mokuba searches for hotels that accept cash. Seto might not notice the relatively small charge of a hotel for one night on a credit card...but why take that chance? More importantly, there's company image to think about and even if Rebecca's not a singing idol, he wouldn't want her image getting ruined over one scandalous photo.

He's not keen on Otogi's suggestion of a love hotel, but the more he searches, it becomes apparent that even the seedier ones have privacy at the forefront. Plus, there were no reservations needed-most only had a kiosk to slip the bills in-so no need to pull out the fake ID Seto taught him to make a while ago.

One catches Mokuba's attention immediately: a Duel Monsters themed hotel, their biggest suite being dragon themed with a pillar of both a Blue Eyes and Red Eyes on either side of entrance and painted a garishly jarring shade of violet. He can only imagine Seto and Jounouchi shitting bricks to see their monsters together...like that.

Pictures of a Dark Magician room stirs up images of Rebecca looking all doe eyed at Yuugi, and he's totally __not__ jealous but would rather not bring that up.

Before he can close the browser, there's a knock on the door. Glad to have an excuse for a break, Mokuba flips the cover over the screen before opening the door for Isono.

"Isono, hey." Glancing at his watch, Mokuba figures he must be coming up to check out for the night.

"You've been working quite hard, Mokuba-sama," Isono says. "You seem like you need a break."

Huh. Mokuba isn't expecting this. "I promise I'm going right to bed. I'm not Nii-sama."

"Indeed not. Seto-sama wouldn't come down to the kitchen if I told him I had a chocolate parfait that was just whipped up." The corners of Isono's mouth turn up in a slight smile.

Maybe Isono wants some time off soon. It's not like him to go to this length to ask but...it's not like there isn't room for dessert with having his dinner interrupted. He'll go eat it, approve the request, then go back to looking up rooms before going to bed.

True to his word, there is a parfait on the kitchen counter...a damn good one, once Mokuba bites into the layers of banana pudding and whipped chocolate mousse that tastes far better than the ones their chef usually makes.

It's then that Mokuba checks the time on his watch, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Isono, Chef would have left hours ago. And you've been off for a half-hour too."

Isono merely stands tall. "Well, yes, but I had to ensure you are getting taken care of."

Somehow, Mokuba doubts Seto approved of Isono letting him eat fast food or creating a parfait when he'd never seen Isono make anything more than fresh pots of coffee. The texture and blends were amazing for something he just "whipped up."

"I appreciate this, but...you know Nii-sama and I would let you take time off, if that's what you want."

"How is everything today?" Isono asks as though he didn't hear Mokuba.

"I told you everything is fine." Better than fine, he thinks, reflecting on the afternoon as he swirls the spoon around the glass absentmindedly.

Isono takes a seat in a chair next to Mokuba, and even through the shades, he can tell exactly what he's looking at. "Miss Hawkins was there for a while today."

Mokuba can't deny that, since Isono is aware of all visitors in and out of the office.

"It's fortunate the both of you are friends. She's quite intelligent and charming. She's grown up since coming to Domino."

"Hmm."

Mokuba takes a large bite of his parfait, nearly choking as he swallows. He scans his mind for anything he can say or do to stop this conversation from going where he's certain this is heading.

Isono is silent for a moment as he runs his hands along his thighs, turning away before continuing. "I assume you two were…" he pauses before adding "... intimate earlier when you didn't come for the folder."

Letting out an undignified noise in between a snort and a cough, Mokuba drops his spoon in surprise. He isn't quite expecting __that__. "Isono!"

"If I do say so, I think you two will be very happy together-"

"No, I mean….we didn't actually do...that much!" Mokuba grabs a napkin to wipe himself off once he can collect himself.

For a brief moment, Mokuba wonders if this is a rouse to get information out of him. Isono doesn't pry this blatantly. But he decides against that; he is very good at reading people's intentions. Isono has far fewer tells than most people-he is a bodyguard, so that is expected-but he knows him better than any other person besides Seto. His discomfort looks genuine.

The sound of the chair scraping on the granite floor jars him as Isono seamlessly goes into a deep, formal bow. "I apologize, Mokuba-sama. I should not have intruded into your personal affairs."

"It's okay, Isono, really!" He replies hastily. Isono has always been professional in his work but this level of humility does not suit him at all. "You don't have to bow that deep...just...sit down, okay?"

Isono straightens himself up again and takes a seat. The older man is so obviously concerned, and not just because he'd have a very furious Seto Kaiba to answer to if he found his teenage brother had a girl in the office. He can tell Isono something that's close enough to the truth to ease his mind.

"Well...something did happen, but it wasn't quite like that. Nothing planned, it just happened all at once...We made out a little-"

"Hmmm," Isono nods in approval, propping his arms on the counter.

"-and I'm taking Rebecca out on Saturday."

"That's excellent! I'm glad you finally got the courage to confess!"

Mokuba merely smiles, not bothering to correct him, wondering how Isono could figure out something he himself hadn't known.

"What time shall I pick up Miss Hawkins?" Isono inquires.

"Huh?" Mokuba blinks. The vast majority of the time, Rebecca either came over from school by train or they met up at a location. He'd stopped offering the limos after the fourth time she'd turned one down. "I don't think we'll need a ride, but um...thanks."

Isono looks at him as though he's grown two heads.

"What?" Mokuba asks. "Rebecca never accepts limos, you know that."

"Where are you going for your date?" Isono inquires sharply.

Mokuba goes to reply but….come to think of it, he and Rebecca never did make any concrete ideas, did they? Something as casual as Burger World is unsuitable, but it's not like they ate out at fancy places all the time.

Isono continues. "I presume that you've picked out a restaurant that will require a reservation, and as such has a dress requirement. And for ladies, that usually requires __heels__."

Oh….oh, right, of course. For all that he's aware of romance mandates, Mokuba doesn't see Rebecca agreeing with most of them. Heels are a pain in the ass, she's said plenty of times. But if they're not doing much walking…

Mokuba nods. "Yeah, I see your point. But...um, we didn't exactly confirm a time….or place…" His face warms up when remembering their goodbye kiss; logic wasn't on his mind as they were making out with one another. He pulls the phone out of his pocket. "I should set that up."

"Calling Miss Hawkins?"

"Nope, texting." Mokuba scrolls through his list of contacts. "It'll be easier than trying guess what she wants."

Isono holds out one hand in front of Mokuba. "Your phone."

Mokuba thinks nothing of handing his iPhone to Isono.

"Siri, call Rebecca."

That gets his attention as the Siri voice says "Calling Rebecca now."

"Isono!" Mokuba glowers more in surprise than anything else.

"Calling is more gentleman-like than a text," Isono explains. Ignoring Mokuba's indignation, Isono places the phone back into his hand as it continues to ring.

"Yeah, for old people!" Texting works for them. The few times he's ever bothered calling Rebecca, he's only ever gotten a voice message. And anyway, Isono is damn lucky he's so good at his job to pull a stunt like that-

"Hello?" Rebecca says in English.

"Oh…" Shit, he didn't think she would actually pick up. "Um..hi. It's me."

"I know it's you," she says cheerfully. "But I didn't recognize the number immediately since you never call."

"You never answer," Mokuba says. "wait, don't you have it stored?"

"No way! If someone stole the phone, they'd be able to track it right back to you! How many other kids are named Mokuba, spelled with katakana?"

That is entirely an answer he expects from Rebecca Hawkins. "Anyway, I, um...i just realized that we never actually set a time or any concrete anything, because we both were...well...you know…"

"I need to take this call," Isono says quietly, waving his corporate cell while making a swift exit towards the living room.

"I know what food places you usually go for but I figured you maybe want something better since…" he trails off, before adding quickly, "But totally because it's a real date too!"

"Oh! Oh, yeah!" Rebecca peaks up a bit. "Well...how about that fancy French one in the business district? You know that one, right?"

He does. Oh __boy,__ does he know.

Long gone are the days where Mokuba picked over foreign foods with long, unpronounceable names. Hell, he actually likes French food when he's actually __in__ Paris. He and Seto were over this over hyped restaurant after the first laughable attempt at haute cuisine. Unfortunately, it's the favorite place of most local investors.

It's also the most expensive establishment in all of Domino, not that it dents Mokuba's pockets any-but he feels genuinely sorry for those who thought the place is good foreign fare.

Mokuba doesn't want to say __Hell, no!__ outright, but…"You don't have a second choice in mind if they're booked?"

"Hmmm….why don't you try that first?"

Mokuba wishes she'd have gone for something with more substance, like a Thai place. Or fugu. Or even a tofu place.

Whatever. Whichever hotel they ended up at will have room service anyway. "I'll have Isono make arrangements," he tells her, writing down the name on a slip of paper to give when the other man finished his "call."

Rebecca goes quiet on the other end before speaking softly, "Today was pretty fun."

"Yeah..." His voice is low and deep. "It was pretty hot when I think about it." Definitely hotter than anything he's imagined or seen the few times he's actively sought out porn videos.

There's a bit of silence on the line before Rebecca speaks again. "But...um, I always have fun around you. Even when we're not fooling around. I like that."

Mokuba nods. "Me, too. I'm glad you said something because I didn't know how to...well, say anything about…" He trails off, hoping Rebecca doesn't notice the nervousness he can't mask entirely as he chuckles lightly. "I'm sorry, I'm not so smooth for stuff like this."

"Like I care about that! I hear pick up lines all the time. That's why I kissed you. I was tired of waiting for you to do it." she giggles. "And you were really good at it."

Mokuba straightens up in his seat body. "Um...thanks. And we should still have fun after we...um...well."

More silence follows.

"So...you, er...really wanna do it?" he inquires. Mokuba isn't sure what else he should say here. A small part of him thinks Rebecca's had time to consider this idea further, so maybe she's changed her mind on all of this-

"Of course I want to! You left me so riled up this afternoon!" More quietly, Rebecca asks, "You do too...right?"

"Yeah, totally!" His voice is a bit loud and overly eager to his own ears.

"Oh...okay then." For a moment, Mokuba senses Rebecca has something else she wants to add, but the next thing she says is, "Well...see ya Saturday, then."

They hang up, and Mokuba watches Isono walk back into the kitchen about a minute later and Mokuba swears Isono is giving him a knowing wink through the shades.

"Okay, you were right," Mokuba admits, leaning back into his chair. "The call was better than a text. But I guess you had to call ladies up in your day."

"I still do, Mokuba-sama. I'm not quite __that__ old yet," Isono laughs, his cheeks slightly pink. "Why, just at the last trip to Paris, a young mademoiselle came up to me-"

"Oh, that reminds me," Mokuba cuts him off, pulling up the number to the restaurant Rebecca suggested before that image can take root in his mind.

Isono looks at the paper for a second, his face oddly blank.

"It wasn't my suggestion," Mokuba shrugs. "Didn't want to fight over it."

The reservation is made with quickness-the high end restaurants nearly all held a table for Kaiba Corporation. Once that's all set, Isono tells him, "We can be at Miss Hawkins' apartment at 6:30 then the restaurant by 7:30." In a quieter voice, he adds, "I can even add a stop at Kaiba Land along the way."

"Kaiba Land?! What for?"

"The Ferris wheel, Mokuba-sama. Have you been on it at sunset?"

He can't say that he has, honestly. In fact, he doesn't remember the last time he's been on any of the rides or played at any of the dueling arenas when he wasn't on official business. Overseeing Kaiba Land is a fun job, but it's still a job.

"It's quite a scene up there," Isono continues. "It would give you more alone time with Miss Hawkins."

Oh boy, was Isono entirely off his game. Mokuba stops himself from shouting __We're not dumb kids anymore!__

"I don't think Rebecca would go for it," he says, his voice skeptical. "Like, everyone goes there on dates. That's kid stuff!" Besides, the Ferris wheel thing is so beyond cliché, and Rebecca is anything but ordinary.

Isono leans in. "You might be surprised, Mokuba-sama. Women enjoy it when men come up with smaller surprises than grander gestures. And of course, you have head-of-line privileges as park owner."

"Naw, Rebecca's pretty upfront," he persists. "If she has any ideas, she'd tell me." Persistent hinting isn't her style.

"And yet you were entire unaware about her feelings for you," Isono points out.

"...that's different." Mokuba looks into his nearly empty parfait cup. Still, he's certain about that much. All that stuff about women wanting men to figure stuff out...that's not her at all.

However, Isono has a point that he should do more than the dinner. "Flowers."

"Mokuba-sama?"

He stands up excitedly. "Yeah, that's it! Girls like those!"

"Hmmmm."

Nodding in approval, Isono pulls up a florist website on his computer. Mokuba recognizes the company; it's an American brand, one they've used for contacts in San Francisco.

Mokuba points to one oversized red rose bouquet of three dozen roses, the stems of which were as long as his legs. He's beaming: of course Rebecca will like this. "Yeah! Let's go for those ones!"

"A nice choice," Isono says, "but perhaps you should save this for a truly monumental occasion."

"What's more important than our first time? On a date," he adds quickly.

Isono gazes at him before responding. "You don't have to rush into being an adult so soon."

There's a lot Mokuba could say, and would have if it were anyone but Isono; that he's had to be an adult on so many occasions. He has been acting CEO once before; he's been up at nights worrying if Seto would come back from his trip to see Atem. Mokuba does worry about what Seto will do once he graduates high school, since Seto long ago insisted he attend college and apply to at least one overseas University. For options, he said.

Isono is aware of all of this.

"Isono, I'm Vice President of a major corporation. I think that ship has sailed."

"You shouldn't have had to grow up so quickly as you did-and neither should Seto-sama."

There's an unfamiliar fire in Isono's voice that makes Mokuba shudder. It's only been since he turned fifteen himself that the weight of responsibility Seto took up at that age has truly hit him. But it's still jarring to hear anyone speak that truth.

"You still have a childhood worth cherishing. You and Miss Hawkins both. You don't need to throw that away."

Mokuba looks down, his eye drawn to Isono's hand clenched into a ball. The shocked look on his face registers with Isono, who opens his hand and clears his throat before turning back to the computer.

Mokuba expects Isono to apologize for behavior unbecoming to his position. It never comes, and he finds himself glad for that.

"Perhaps these will do."

Oh, right. He'd nearly forgotten they were still on flowers. Isono's found a more modest-sized, if still exotic red-tipped, yellow rose bouquet.

Isono grins. "Yes, these will do. The color combination means friendship and romance. A symbolic combo."

Mokuba doesn't know why that warms him up inside. He does like the idea of having more than just sex. He wants a full, normal relationship, with dates, and romantic outings and bringing her over for dinner with Seto...once he tells him.

He pushes the thought aside. "Let's go for it." And then adds, "let's send these to her apartment tomorrow. And on Saturday I bring a single red rose."

That's a thing he's seen on American TV.

"Wonderful idea! Now you've got it!"

Isono places the order.

"Looks like you're all set," he says once the order is confirmed. "I do believe you'll make Miss Hawkins happy."

Mokuba grins. "Yeah, I hope so."

By now, it's long past time that Isono should have gotten home. Mokuba stretches one arm over his head. "I guess I should get some rest. I promised Rebecca I would at least try."

"Did you?" Isono seems glad by this as he closes up his computer.

"Oh, but I really need to check in with Nii-sama!" Between the incident at dinner and planning the date, time really has slipped by Mokuba today.

Isono nods "I assume you'll tell him of your plans with Miss Hawkins."

Mokuba looks down at his feet. It's not an unreasonable statement; after all, he's never kept any secret bigger than his candy stash from Seto. Besides, it's not like he'll keep it forever just...after he graduates.

With his doctorate.

"Seto-sama hasn't asked me to report your direct whereabouts in over a year," Isono says, to Mokuba's astonishment. Seto had never once mentioned that to him. "But there are some things he would rather hear about from yourself."

But what can he say? It's not that he minds sharing the date aspect; he's thrilled about the public stuff. And Seto and Rebecca actually get along in the instances when they do interact. He was even surprisingly forgiving of the time Rebecca's sim game got corrupted in VR and Seto and Atem's profile had ended up imported as the romantic leads.

(Mokuba has never asked why Seto saved any copy of that in the Blue Dragon Summoner folder.)

Mokuba sighs. "I know, but...it doesn't have to be tonight…?"

Isono gives him a smile, one that he knows to mean his secret is safe for as long as he needs.

"I suppose you're of the age where you need your own privacy...but you'll be more confident once you talk to Seto-sama."

Is his life and Seto's that intertwined in everyone's minds? Mokuba does make his own decisions, he grouses internally. Out loud, he says, "That's just what Jounouchi said."

Isono looks ponderous in thought. "Did he, now?"

"Yeah, he did. It kinda came up in conversation," Mokuba states...and now that it's out in the open, he can hear how wrong it is that the person who irritates Seto the most on the planet would know about Rebecca before he does.

Isono seems to be lost in thought for some reason Mokuba can't figure out. "Interesting…" he says quietly.

"Jounouchi can be a bonehead, but he's come through for us a lot." Fairly often, he thinks.

Isono places a finger on his chin. "Did he mention...anything else?"

Mokuba shakes his head. "Jounouchi wasn't much help. He's only been with one person and that guy was an asshole who never even called him back after they did it."

For a brief moment, Isono opens his mouth and Mokuba thinks he's about to correct his swearing, but nothing comes out. "I see." Mokuba can't read anything else into that as Isono bows slightly. "If there is anything else you need-"

"No, it's great." Better than great. "I'll walk you to the door."

They both head towards the direction of the garage.

"Hey, Isono, that parfait was delicious. When did you learn to cook?"

Isono grins. "You might not believe this, but I took this job because I was actually saving to go overseas to Le Cordon Bleu."

Well, that explains his cringing at the restaurant selection. It also explain how he was the only guard who was fluent in French. The range of Isono's skills never ceases to amaze him. "That's awesome! Maybe if you cook for Nii-sama, he'll keep eating once I go to college. But how did you end up in security?"

"This was supposed to be a temporary position. Kaiba Corp was the best paying security job and I figure it couldn't be hard to watch two grade school kids."

Mokuba lets the statement hang in the air without comment.

Isono chuckles ruefully. "I never thought I'd be here to see the way you and Seto-sama have both grown into wonderful young men. It's been an honor to work for __your__ Kaiba Corporation."

Theirs. Not Gozaburo's.

"But, you've got plenty of money now to attend," Mokuba points out.

Isono merely smiles and pats at Mokuba's shoulder as they reach the garage.

"You'll check over the schedule in for the tournament before going to sleep, I assume? I know Mr. Chronos requires some notice to work around his Doctorate studies."

That won't take long. "Um, sure thing."

Isono gives him a long look. It's a look Mokuba imagines his own father might have given him and Seto once. "Sleep well, Mokuba-sama."

Mokuba watches as Isono hops into his car and drives out with a certain kind of awe...and a new respect.

* * *

The plans for Saturday now confirmed, Mokuba returns to his room, eyeing his briefcase on the desk. Then, it occurs to him that it actually wasn't there then he got home.

Mokuba opens his briefcase; all his contents are still there, with a couple additions: a pack of condoms, of higher quality and thinner than the ones Jounouchi gave him, and a hand-written note from Isono:

 _ _Seto-sama told me upon your fourteenth birthday that I was no longer to report on your every movement. However, he did make it clear that I should intervene to keep you safe when possible. I assume you will have taken precautions by the time you read this; however, you can never be too safe and you may enjoy this brand more than what you've purchased for yourself.__

 _ _Additionally, I've included reservations at the following address, as this hotel specializes in high end clients who value their privacy. I'm certain you do not wish to jeopardize Kaiba Corporation's reputation or that of Miss Hawkins' until such a time as you deem fit to make such an announcement.__

Shifting out the second page, there's an address and a map to the location. He looks up the hotel on his phone: a discrete white building, one Mokuba has passed by often in the business district. He never would have thought such a place existed, but looking at the website (one Mokuba realizes is not indexed on a Google search)...it looks perfect. The room sizes are great, plenty of amenities and apparently options beyond roses on the bed-the plumeria bath is apparently the most popular option.

There is more writing on the note itself that Mokuba continues to read:

 _ _I'll see to it that the office is further soundproofed on the floors as well as the walls, but it would be best that the doors are shut entirely and locked if you require more privacy. Seto-sama may not be as forgiving about the matter.__

Below that, in a slightly different shade of black that appears to have been a recent addition:

 _ _P.S.: I placed the ice pack in your freezer and the rest on your desk.__

Swinging his chair around, Mokuba jumps up and swipes the bag he'd brought up to his room earlier. To his horror and embarrassment, it contains all his snacks.

But then, how did he-?

Isono must have slipped into his room while he was talking to Rebecca.

Mokuba chokes on his air, burying his face into the pillow.

Isono fucking knew _ _the entire time.__

Then, he laughs. Isono got him __good__. He'll have to pay him back for all of this one day.

Taking a deep breath to collect himself, Mokuba closes his briefcase.

Then he pulls his phone.

The phone rings twice before Seto answers. "Hello, little brother."

"Nii-sama, hey." It's far easier to affect a casual voice over the phone when he doesn't have to do it face-to-face. "Time got away from me. I should have called earlier."

"It happens to us all."

"Some of us more than others," Mokuba teases. He's had to drag Seto away from his desk far too many times to count.

"So, how did it go today?" Seto inquires.

"Oh?" Everything before Rebecca came by feels like a distant memory. "Nothing too exciting happened. Just the usual."

"Mmmm," Seto says. "I should let you run things more often."

Mokuba laughs lightly. "But I can't run things like you do!"

He hears Seto sniff. "If I didn't think you were capable, I wouldn't have left you in charge."

"Oh." Mokuba is quiet. "So….um, I guess that means you trust me with big decisions, then?"

There's a pause on Seto's end before he speaks, with a slight bit of confusion. "You know that I do, Mokuba. Is everything okay there? If it's too much-"

Quickly, Mokuba finds a stronger, more convincing tone. "I just needed to hear it again is all. Sorry to worry you!"

"Hmm! I'm more worried about your waistline," Seto says, letting the moment pass. "How many times have you been to Burger World since I left?"

"Just today, I swear! Besides, I'm a growing boy and I need the extra calories!"

"How can you eat that stuff?" Seto asks in mock disgust.

"With my mouth, usually."

" _ _Hilarious,__ Mokuba."

Mokuba laughs. "Eh, it wasn't so bad. I ran into Yuugi's friends and we caught up with each other-"

"Was Jounouchi there?" Seto asks in a voice that is suddenly sharp.

Mokuba nearly flinches at the jarring change. "Eh?"

Seto pauses, then replies in a slightly less charged voice, "The deadbeat. Was he there?"

Moreso than Seto's irritation at the mere thought of Jounouchi, Mokuba is more stunned that he'd actually called him by name, or even asked about him at all. "Uh...yeah, he was, actually. Did something happen at the tournament? He was looking for you, too."

"It's not important. It never is with him," Seto responds in a tone Mokuba knows to mean Seto isn't going to discuss it further. "I supposed Rebecca was there, too."

"Naw, she was busy."

"She isn't at the house now, is she?"

 _"_ _ _Nii-sama!"__ Mokuba's mouth falls open. "What-I wouldn't do it in the house, geez!" Technically, this is the truth.

For a minute, he thinks __Shit, he really does know__! But Seto lets out a laugh-not a bone chilling one or the maniacal laugh reserved for besting his rivals...a genuinely teasing one that was only reserved for Mokuba.

But this is as good an opening as any to speak up: "But yeah, about that, Nii-"

"Considering how some of those other rich brats at your school act without their parents around, I can sleep at night knowing you aren't doing anything stupid."

It takes everything in him to stifle the noise in his throat and to ignore the prickling in his stomach.

"You were about to say something?"

Mokuba pauses for a second. He could tell Seto now. He __should__ tell him now.

"No, it's nothing that can't wait" escapes his mouth quicker.

Seto doesn't press it any further. "I know you've been keeping the company running well. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Nii-sama." It's the only thing he trusts himself to say at the moment.

"I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Yeah. See ya."

They hang up, and Mokuba lets out a sigh, squashing the voice that says this is a thin, pitiful excuse to chicken out. But he can't tell Seto now. It'll be better in person anyway, he tells himself.

The long day is quickly catching up to him as he musters just enough energy to change out of his suit and into more comfortable sweatpants and grabbing the ice pack for his neck.

Mokuba briefly wonders if he underestimates Seto's ability to understand this. After all, he isn't stupid enough to believe Seto risked life and limb to visit Atem solely for the sake of a dueling rivalry, even before seeing __that__ folder. He doesn't visit him as much anymore, but still...

Another crazy thought comes to mind: what if Seto and Jounouchi __were__ to go out?

It isn't that crazy with their similarities. If they weren't so determined to hate one another, they could probably be good boyfriends. Maybe get Jounouchi to forget that jerk he's mooning over.

He shakes the idea off. Best to get some rest and focus on his own date before playing matchmaker for anyone else. And then after Saturday...

Well, he'll have some pointers for Seto, Mokuba thinks, his last conscious thought before he drifts off into slumber.

* * *

 **So this chapter isn't nearly as rip-roaring hilarious as I wanted, but I couldn't sacrifice the opportunity to write caring guardian!Isono trying to look after this smol bby who is in way over his head and at least try to cool his jets. But I promise the next entry is gonna be a true riot! xD That is, if I ever get past this writer's block. Lost my mojo getting involved with VLD writing at the time this was originally published.**

 **Thank you guys so much for all your support and patience with this work! Your comments gave me life during one of the hardest years of my life, and I appreciate every one of my readers! (Hugs) i got a lot of the next chapter done already, so hope to have that up soon!**


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